A comparison of group-learning styles: construction students, law students and student teachers

If the extent of the literature is an indicator, educationalists believe that student learning styles are important. One stream of the literature argues that within all groups there is a diversity of individual preferences which provide an individual learning-style profile. Other scholars argue that students who undertake higher education in an occupational discipline have common learning preferences indicating a group learning-style profile. This research compares three different studies that used a common survey instrument, PEPS, to provide evidence for one or other of the arguments. Analysis of data for students in construction, law and teaching did not find an unequivocal group learning-style profile for any group. However, certain factors are preferred by a significant portion of students within each group indicating that there may be a proportion of each cohort that has similar learning preferences. For example, a significant proportion of construction students have a preference for learning with peers, in the presence of teachers or experts and through highly structured course content, but. the students prefer course material not to be presented in tile traditional lecture format.